The present invention relates to food products and to their methods of preparation. More particularly, the present invention relates high protein puffed ready-to-eat food products and to their methods of preparation.
Obesity is a rapidly growing health concern worldwide. A high protein, low carbohydrate is one popular diet approach to weight reduction or maintenance.
In addition to conventional meat and dairy products that are naturally high in proteins, a wide variety of dry mix products as well as ready-to-eat foods are available. For example, dry powder mixes for addition to liquids (e.g., milk, water or juices) for preparing various high protein fluid blends or shakes are well known. Also, various high protein formulations are provided in convenient ready-to-eat bar (“RTE”) form. While such bars can contain high levels of protein, such products are usually high in moisture (i.e., have water activities higher than 0.45). In other variations, such dry mixes or bar products might also include high levels of quickly available sugars to ostensibly facilitate athletic activities (colloquially sometimes referred to as “power bars”).
Regrettably, many such high protein products have such poor organoleptic properties as to require uncommon motivation for even repeat consumption let alone to become an effective dietary component of an effective weight loss or even weight management program.
In other forms, ready-to-eat cereals have been specially formulated for those who are weight conscious. Generally, these products comprise cooked cereal dough formulations in various conventional RTE cereal forms that are fortified with added protein. While popular, such products generally comprise high levels of carbohydrates and generally comprise less than 50% protein.
While high protein RTE food products are conceptually popular, formulating dry ready-to-eat food products that are both higher than 50% protein (dry weight basis) and that taste good is difficult. High protein food products can suffer off flavors from such components as soy or whey proteins. Also, dry high protein food products can suffer from an unpalatable texture that is often hard or glassy. Such off flavors become increasingly noticeable and difficult to mask and the glassy texture more severe at higher protein concentrations.
High protein puffed products have long been known (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,279 (issued to) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,824 “Breakfast Cereals Containing Soy Material and Sodium Bicarbonate” (issued Jun. 4, 1974 to Bedenk et al.). While puffed to some degree and of some what improved flavor, such products have not found consumer acceptance due to an undesirably hard or glassy texture.
The present invention provides improvements to such puffed high protein content Ready To Eat products. In one aspect, the improvement resides in the including sufficient amounts of fiber in the high protein formulation to reduce glassy textual attributes to provide a softer product. In another aspect, the present invention provides improvements in selecting high-speed extruder to directly expand the present high protein content formulations to provide the present highly puffed products that are characterized in part by the present low density range.
High-speed cooker extruder especially twin screw extruder for the provision of puffed ready-to-eat cereal products is known (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,741 “Grain Based Extruded Product Operation” issued Apr. 3, 2001 to van Lengerich et al.). The '741 patent, however, is concerned with providing expanded cooked cereal dough pieces of unique texture by direct expansion especially those containing high levels of sugar. In contrast, the present invention provides improvements to the teachings of the '741 patent by providing high protein low carbohydrate (especially low sugar) products.
The present invention provides puffed ready-to-eat cereal products that are not only high in protein content but also are high in fiber content.
In addition to providing high levels of protein, the present cereal compositions additionally comprise high levels of fiber. While providing consumer acceptable high protein R-T-E presents formidable challenges, providing such high protein cereals that are also high in fiber content is even more difficult since the amount of starchy constituent is necessary decreased in direct proportion to the increases in fiber and protein.
Notwithstanding the high levels of both protein and fiber, the present cereal compositions provide R-T-E cereals especially those in the form of puffed pieces, the present products exhibit good organoleptic eating qualities in addition to their desirable nutritional profile of high fiber and protein content.
Surprisingly, a wide variety of high soluble fiber R-T-E cereal products can be provided that are almost indistinguishable in taste and texture from their counterparts that are not fortified with fiber when that fiber is supplied by inulin. Such high fiber high quality R-T-E cereals can be provided from cooked cereal doughs that are fortified with soluble fiber provided by inulin within certain concentrations. In its method aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing such novel R-T-E cereal products.